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Frank Catalano Performs July 16 at NYC Jazz Standard to Celebrate CD Release

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Savoy Jazz is thrilled to announce that tenor saxophonist Frank Catalano is the first artist to be signed to the label under an artist management agreement along with a multi-album contract. Frank Catalano joins the legendary independent label Savoy with an innovative management agreement under which the label will partner with the artist in every facet of his career, and will handle traditional responsibilities for production and marketing of his albums. Savoy Jazz will release his first project under the deal, BANG!, on July 15th.

This sensational 31-year-old player has been blowing audiences away since he was a teenager sitting in with legends like organist Charles Earland and touring with the likes of Tony Bennett. Legends and superstars from across the music scene such as Carlos Santana, Tito Puente, Wilco, and Destiny's Child already know how great Frank Catalano is from having worked with him on recordings and tours.

Now stepping out on the international stage, the Chicago native packs a punch with his energetic, intense style as a soloist and bandleader. His playing now “conveys an unmistakable heft and authority," according to The Chicago Tribune, who declares Catalano “on the verge of forging a self-styled, autobiographical musical language." DownBeat describes his playing and composing as “John Coltrane energy for the 21st Century."

He has made the first definitive statement of his mature style with his Savoy Jazz debut, BANG! The recording features Frank's regular working band of Scott Williams on piano, Adam Whitson on bass and Daron Nelson on drums, as well as guest performances by percussionist Chris Paquette. Leading off with the explosive title track, Frank's tenor burns through the incendiary program including tour de force interpretations of “My One and Only Love," which has been one of Frank Catalano's favorite ballads since he heard the John Coltrane/Johnny Hartman version as a boy, and Wayne Shorter's “Footprints." Catalano says that he first learned “Footprints" in high school, and finally felt ready to put his own interpretation on such a well-known tune, as he describes it “a standard that doesn't sound too standard." The balance of the track list includes Catalano originals “Soul Burner," “Shakin'," “God Made It Beautiful," “Damn Right," “Funky Dunky," “Night Moves" and “Later." The saxophonist has a degree in composition from DePaul University, and uses that training to create “tunes that are really funky, but still have a strong formal structure. I like to keep the harmonic framework loose so that we can take the songs anywhere we want," he says.

Catalano launched an international tour in support of BANG! on June 21 at Dizzy's in San Diego, including appearances at Los Angeles' KJAZZ Festival (June 24), release events at his home club, Andy's in Chicago (July 15), New York's Jazz Standard (July 16) and as the host of this year's JVC Chicago Jazz Festival with performances at the Green Mill (July 18 and 19). He is booked by Eric Hanson and Nate Horney at Tree Lawn Artists, and is an acclaimed clinician for Yamaha saxophones and Rico reeds, for whom he does more than 40 clinics every year.

“Savoy Jazz has a nearly 70-year history of signing and recording daring, unconventional, paradigm-shifting artists like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, Lee Morgan, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane and the Modern Jazz Quartet as well as contemporary artists like Ravi Coltrane, Andy Bey and Vijay Iyer. Frank Catalano plays with the wholehearted intensity, boundary-breaking spirit of adventure and the charisma to carry on this incredible heritage," says Savoy's head of jazz A&R and VP of Sales, Joshua Sherman. “From our first conversation with Frank, it was clear that he has star power, and we're really excited to be working with him in all aspects of his career development."

Savoy Jazz is a division of The Savoy Label Group (SLG) a leader in contemporary adult music and features not only the historic Savoy Jazz recordings but also those from Muse, Landmark, Denon, and the Denon Classics labels. The Savoy Label Group is the North American unit of Columbia Music Entertainment (formerly Nippon Columbia), the oldest music company in Japan. SLG is lead by Steve Vining and CME is headed by Chairman Strauss Zelnick, founder of Zelnick Media, which owns interests in and manages an array of media companies.

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